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flying humans
Topic Started: Oct 11 2010, 12:12 AM (2,258 Views)
Owl Streak
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Do you think that if people used there arms enough their arms could possibly support them if we developed flight?
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The Dodo
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I highly doubt humans would evolve flight, we need our arms for manipulating objects and flight usually develops in smaller, lighter animals.
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Spugpow
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There are actually people that glide using "squirrel suits" that increase their surface area, so gliding shouldn't be a problem for humans. Also, there have been heavier flying animals than humans in the past (Azhdarchids). The question is whether a flying lineage can start out big, rather than starting small and then getting bigger over time.
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Pando
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Owl Streak
Oct 11 2010, 12:12 AM
Do you think that if people used there arms enough their arms could possibly support them if we developed flight?
We already use our arms for everything.

I doubt flying animals can start big. How can you glide?
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The Dodo
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Flying animals start out small because it's eaiser to fly being lighter, they get bigger later on when they have refined flying further. It is too hard for big animals because they are too heavy and would have to develop powerful muscles to get them off the ground.
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lamna
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I use my feet for picking up washing (laundry) that I've dropped when my hands are full, so a flying person would not lose all ability to manipulate things.
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T.Neo
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I seriously doubt it could evolve in humans, but it could certainly evolve in a similarly-sized (or bigger) organism, especially if the conditions for flight were improved.
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colddigger
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If people used their arms enough doing what?

If for some reason a group of people ended up having huge flaps of skin that they could use to glide I suppose something might come out of it, but more than likely they'd have the skin surgically removed to fit in.
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lamna
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Unless people chose to modify themselves.
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T.Neo
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Skin flaps are only part of the problem. Humans also have heavy bones, and our bodies aren't adapted for flight, flapping or not.

Unless the modification goes beyond creating skin flaps, to creating wing support fingers, and stronger muscle groups, etc.
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Flisch
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Owl Streak
Oct 11 2010, 12:12 AM
Do you think that if people used there arms enough their arms could possibly support them if we developed flight?
Only if evolution would work the Lamarckian way. :P

In all seriousness though, we already use our arms to fly, I mean we're building planes and stuff.
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Dragon wasp
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hey my grandma new this guy who had no arms (he never had them so dont think they got choped off) and he did EVERYTHING with his feet.
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colddigger
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I was assuming that the squirrel suits worked.

I imagine that what would happen is that these flying people would get smaller bodies and heads and longer arms and stronger chests... and larger lungs and hearts... and their eyes would probably get tiny.
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Spugpow
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Boy, those squirrel suits sure do work. The videos on Youtube are amazing, it's exactly how you'd imagine flying to be...
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Toad of Spades
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I wonder if the suit concept can be taken further and make a pair of big pterosaur-like wings on the suit that are supported by the arms and long lightweight bars. It might be hard to flap but you could soar for a very long distance.
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